


The Oriande Project

by bavariansugarcookie



Series: Oriande Reborn [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Android Keith (Voltron), Androids, Augmented Human Shiro, Canon-Typical Violence, Cyborgs, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hurt/Comfort, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Slow Burn, The Murderbot Diaries AU, xe/ xer pronouns for Pidge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24635920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bavariansugarcookie/pseuds/bavariansugarcookie
Summary: SecUnit Keith would rather watch media than be a glorified babysitter, but with interplanet corporate sabotage and a devastatingly charming augmented human pilot named Takashi Shirogane, that seems unlikely.Or the Murderbot Diaries AU no one asked for!
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Series: Oriande Reborn [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781257
Comments: 24
Kudos: 71





	The Oriande Project

**Author's Note:**

> This is fic is inspired by The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells, and while I don't think you need to have read them to enjoy this fic, they're really great so I highly recommend them!
> 
> Some terminology that might come in handy:
> 
> SecUnit: A bot (made up of cloned organic parts plus nonorganic robotic parts) in charge of security. Often used to record/ spy on their clients  
> Augmented human: a human with additional nonorganic parts (aka a cyborg)  
> SecHub: The habitat used for exploratory missions  
> Security Ready Room: Storage for security equipment, as well as the cubicle where SecUnits can repair themselves  
> Terraforming: technology used be corporations to found their own colonies on new planets

The thing about being a SecUnit that nobody tells you is that you'll spend most of your day as a glorified babysitter. But with guns.

In theory a crew of scientists shouldn't need as much supervision, but Keith had learned a long time ago that the kind of human who volunteered for an exploratory mission couldn't be left to their own devices. 

And then there was the pilot, the only augmented human. A cocky pilot with something to prove would mean less time to watch media.

Especially on Oriande.

Maybe they weren’t so smart after all if they were going to a colony that had collapsed in on itself.

Keith had skimmed the mission packet, but it wasn’t nearly as helpful as the documentary on Oriande he’d downloaded. (Surprise surprise.) Who knew hacking his governor module and downloading enough media to last 3 lifetimes would actually be useful? 

Life is full of surprises like that.

He was just skimming the bios for Sincline, the secondary exploratory team (they had their own SecUnit, thank fuck) when he got a ping from Allura about the first debrief. He closed out the file and picked up his helmet. Time to stand at attention and pretend he didn't exist.

He slipped into the room and leaned against the far wall, trying not to draw attention to himself. Luckily the others were talking amongst themselves. Allura Alforsson, the money behind the operation, looked like someone straight out of _Sanctuary Moon_ , with her bright blue eyes and snow white hair swept up in a complicated looking braid. She chatted with Dr. Coran Smythe, while the team biologist Hunk Garrett, the engineer, nodded along. Pidge Holt, the geologist, tinkered with her PADD. 

Lance McClain, the munitions expert, waved his hands around while he told a story. He leaned so far back in his chair he started to slip, but the pilot -Takashi Shirogane - caught him, smirking as he set him upright again. 

Keith found his gaze lingering. Shirogane’s augmentations were more extensive than most, and interestingly, he didn’t try to hide them. His silver arm gleamed in the light, along with the port at the nape of his neck. Keith noticed the Galra Corp. logo on the inside of his metal wrist, jarring among all the Voltron Alliance branding on their uniforms. 

McClain must have noticed Keith looking, because he squinted at him and announced, “Nice of the SecUnit to finally join us.”

Keith clenched his jaw. _Great, the security expert has an opinion._

“Lance,” Allura scolded. “Be nice.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “Be _nice_ ? Allura, they forced us to bring him along, probably to _spy_ on us, and you want me to be _nice_?”

“Lance,” Shiro murmured, eyebrow raised. “You know that’s not why he’s here.”

Spying on clients was actually at least 40 percent of the reason SecUnits were included in all packages, but Keith wasn’t about to tell _them_ that. 

“I’m here to provide support and assist in case of an emergency,” he said in his talk-the-client-out-of-being-an-idiot voice. 

Lance bristled. “No, that’s why _I’m_ here. You’re just a security camera with legs!”

“I can provide my tactical statistics if you wish,” Keith said blandly, wishing he could zap Lance. With the non-lethal setting. Probably. 

“That won’t be necessary,” Allura said quickly. “I’m sure you’ll _both_ provide helpful insight on this project.”

Lance puffed out his chest and Keith rolled his eyes so hard his performance reliability dropped 2 percent. 

Allura cleared her throat. “Hunk, anything interesting in your readings so far?”

Hunk looked up from his PADD. “Nothing conclusive so far,” he said, projecting a map to the feed. “We did a preliminary scan before we set up the Hub to check for any tectonic shifting or other seismic activity. And the base is far enough from the city that any activity there won’t affect the HubSystem.”

Keith was begrudgingly impressed. At least they were smart enough not to set up the Hub in the damn city. It wouldn’t have been the first time. 

“Excellent,” Allura said, sounding pleased. “Pidge, anything interesting in your scans?”

Keith let his eyes glaze over as they talked on and on about enhanced geothermal energy systems and water pressure and water injection systems. It wasn’t like they’d brought him along to play scientist, and he could always go back and catch anything he’d missed later. 

Besides, nothing interesting ever happened in debrief meetings anyway. 

He was just looking through the specs for the newest hoverbike model when Allura’s voice registered. “SecUnit, anything you’d like to add?”

He blinked. No one had ever asked him a question in a debrief unless something had gone horribly wrong. He scanned the last 30 seconds of his feed to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, but no. She just wanted his opinion.

“Don’t go off exploring alone. And don’t eat any wild plants or mushrooms you find without testing. Please,” he added for good measure. He didn’t want the Company to get any complaints about _a rude SecUnit._

Coran gasped so hard he choked on his bright orange mustache and Pidge wrinkled her nose. “Has that actually happened?”

Keith’s efficiency dropped another 2 percent. “Yes,” he said, sending a shortened incident report to the feed. 

They all read silently, until Hunk burst out, “The same guy poisoned himself FOUR TIMES???”

 _Ugh. The Pollux expedition._ “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“He ate the same plant twice,” Shirogane muttered to himself.

Keith squared his shoulders, trying to look authoritative. “I’m here to protect you. But I can’t do that if you eat the weird mushrooms because they _look_ edible.” _Plus it cuts into media-watching time._

“You heard the SecUnit!” Coran said, twirling his mustache. “Anyone caught poisoning themselves will be thrown in the brig.”

“We don’t have a brig, Coran,” Shiro said with a smirk.

Coran humphed into his mustache and Allura cleared her throat. “Well, if that’s everything, I think we can get back to work. We have a vid meeting with the Sincline team in a few days, and I’ll be damned if we don’t have anything interesting to show Lotor.”

“Please,” Pidge said, pushing xer glasses up. “Ezor’s going to owe me so many credits after this.”

Allura beamed. “That’s the spirit, Pidge!”

Keith waited for the others to drift out, chattering about the bets they had with members of the Sincline team, and then he headed out to leave the Hub.

Lance squinted at him. “Where are you going?”

Keith bit his lip. “To check on the vehicles.”

“I already did that.”

Keith shrugged. “It’s Company policy, so….”

Pidge snorted. “Belts and suspenders,” xe quipped and the others all groaned.

“You _can’t_ quote Iverson at me, Pidge!” Lance moaned, and xe laughed and punched his shoulder.

“Don’t be such a baby, come on!”

They all trooped off, and Keith finally stepped outside into the blissful quiet.

Ok, it was a little more eerie than blissful, but at least there was no bickering. The landscape was vast, with tall mountains stretching across the horizon to the south, and the city skyline just barely visible to the north. Keith waded through the tall grass to the hoverbikes and the larger hopper for long-distance rides.

The sun was setting in a glare of orange light, and Keith had to lower his optical sensors as he ran the vehicle specs.

It was still better than Planet Jarre, but then again, _anywhere_ was better than Jarre.

He glanced over his shoulder. No one was outside, and no one had pinged his feed. Even SecHub was quiet in the back of his mind. 

He climbed up onto one of the hoverbikes, running his hands along the controls, wondering what it would be like to drive off toward the mountains, away from the city. 

The wind picked up, and Keith thought about how it would whip through his hair and make his eyes sting. The air quality on Oriande was too thin to be sustainable for a human for long. 

But he wasn’t human.

He checked the feed one last time to make sure the coast was clear, and then he took off his helmet. His performance efficiency dropped 4 percent with the lower oxygen, but he closed his eyes and sighed. His hands settled on the controls, ready to leave, ready to fly. But he wouldn’t make it very far.

He heard footsteps approaching and stiffened, checking the feed with his eyes still closed. Of course it was Shirogane. 

“Hello Captain,” he murmured.

“Hey,” Shirogane said, walking up and leaning on the hoverbike next to the one Keith was currently sitting on. “She’s a beauty, isn’t she?”

Keith wrenched his fingers off of the controls. “I was just running the specs…”

Shirogane looked up at him. It was vaguely unnerving, not being able to read his expression behind his helmet. Was this what it was like for humans when they looked at him?

“Do you want to take it for a spin?”

Keith blinked. “What?”

“Do you want to take it for a spin? Checking the specs is great, but I always want to feel how it handles for myself.”

Keith could hardly believe his ears. “And you want me to come with you?”

Shirogane shrugged. “If you want. Have you driven one before?”

Keith snorted. “Yeah. But only in emergencies.”

“Well that’s a shame,” Shirogane said. “Why don’t you come with me?”

Keith bit his lip, torn between longing and confusion. He couldn’t figure out why the hotshot augmented pilot was even talking to _him_. Plus SecHub would definitely have something to say if he drove off without express authorization. Even if it couldn't punish him (thanks to a hacked governor module) it could still be awkward when they sent him back to the Company.

But then Shirogane pinged Allura with a request for SecUnit to go with him to check the perimeter. Her approval came in almost instantly, and Keith’s eyebrows shot up. 

“We’re not supposed to go off alone, right?” Shirogane said, and his voice was soft. Almost understanding. “So you’re doing me a favor.”

“Ok,” Keith finally said. Even if it was some sort of joke, the trip was in the SecHub system. It wouldn’t show up on his record.

Shirogane grinned and climbed into the hoverbike seat. “Ready when you are,” he quipped, and Keith fumbled to put his helmet on. Shiro revved his engine and Keith grinned to himself. Two could play at that game. 

He pinged the comm, _Think you can keep up?_ and sped off, leaving Shirogane in his wake. 

Shirogane’s laugh echoed over the comm. _That’s cheating!_ he complained, but soon enough he was in Keith’s blind spot, gunning the throttle to catch up. 

He managed to slip past Keith at the pass and Keith grinned to himself. _At least he was making it interesting_.

They played tag all along the perimeter, until they finally zigzagged up the plateau just north of the Hub.

They parked the hoverbikes and Shirogane jumped down, ripping off his helmet. “Where did you learn to ride like that?” he asked.

Keith slid out of the seat and shrugged. “Here and there.”

Shirogane shook his head. “You could beat half the guys in my flight class driving like that, no problem.”

Keith felt his cheeks heat. No one had paid him a compliment since Tex - but no, he didn’t want to think about that right now. 

“Thanks,” he mumbled, suddenly very thankful Shirogane couldn’t see his face.

Shirogane sent a smiling emoticon in the feed and Keith snorted. “It’s hard to talk with these damn helmets,” Shirogane laughed and Keith sent the thumbs up emoji back.

The sky was turning a pale lilac as the twin moons rose in the sky. Shiro took a deep breath and tilted his head back. “Man, you don’t see sunsets like this back home.”

Keith hummed. “You mean on Altea?”

“Yeah. It’s beautiful there, but seeing this…” Shirogane trailed off, staring up at the moons, and Keith tilted his head back to look too, letting the silence stretch between them. Usually silences made him nervous when he was alone with a human. But this was… nice.

“I was sick when I was little. They didn’t think I would make it to 25,” Shirogane murmured. “I always wanted to see everything I could before it was too late.”

Keith stared, fumbling for something to say. This is why he didn’t talk to humans. “How old are you?” _Wait, that was a terrible question._

Shirogane turned to him. “27,” he said, an edge to his voice that Keith couldn’t quite place. “I tried an experimental procedure and it worked.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “The side effects were hell though.”

Keith remembered the streak of silver hair. “They can put you back together, but it hurts like hell,” he murmured, and Shirogane’s head jerked up. 

“Yeah,” he breathed. “Yeah, exactly.”

Keith looked back up at the moons. “What’s it like?” he asked. “When you fly?”

“Takeoff is intense, when you’re leaving a planet like this. It feels like your heart is going to beat out of your chest, if you don’t shake apart first. But when you leave a space port, it’s like swimming out into a lake. You look out, and you can see the universe spread out in front of you… like you could go anywhere. Do anything.”

Keith swallowed. “That sounds nice.”

Shirogane looked over at him. “You’ve never seen it?”

Keith shook his head. “I’m always stashed away in the cargo hold.”

“Not this time,” Shirogane said. “When we leave Oriande, you’ll be in the cockpit with me.”

Keith looked up at him, wishing he could see his face. He’d never wished for that before. “I’d like that, Captain.”

“You can call me Shiro,” he said, as if augmented humans were on a first name basis with SecUnits all the time. “What should I call you?”

“Keith,” he said, running his thumb over the _K31H_ stamped on his wrist.

“Nice to meet you, Keith,” Shiro said. Like it was easy. Like they were the same.

When they pulled back up to the Hub, the sky had turned a deep, inky purple, with a swirl of green clouds blowing up from the mountains. Keith climbed off the hoverbike, already missing that weightless feeling as his boots carved a path toward the Hub.

The door slid shut behind them as they waited for the decontamination scan. “Thanks for letting me tag along, Captain,” Keith said.

Shirogane turned when the scan was done, pulling off his helmet. Keith found himself staring into earnest gray eyes. “Anytime.” He waved goodbye and Keith nodded awkwardly as he unlatched the door to the security ready room. 

He leaned against the door and pulled off his helmet, trying to get his bearings. They’d barely been on-planet for 14 hours, but he plugged in the repair and resupply leads for a maintenance check anyway. He would need at least 4 hours to figure out the emotions swirling in his chest.

***

Keith half-expected Shiro to ignore him the next morning, but when he walked out to the mess hall Shiro gave him a smile and a whispered, “Hey, Keith,” that somehow made his performance efficiency drop 1 percent.

He still hadn’t figured out exactly what the emotion from last night was, but it was fine. He watched Shiro laugh at one of Hunk’s stories and pretend he didn’t notice Pidge stealing a piece of fruit off his plate. Shiro was obviously friendly with everyone.

It still took him by surprise every time Shiro smiled at him.

The rest of the crew was pretty typical - but low on drama, which Keith was grateful for. Pidge and Hunk were clearly in the pining-but-skittish stage, falling all over themselves every time they caught the other looking. Lance was nursing a crush on Allura, although Keith noticed him watching Shiro sometimes too. 

And Keith couldn’t blame him, honestly. Normally he didn’t pay any attention to humans’ looks, but Shiro looked like he should be on _Sanctuary Moon_ instead of some boring exploratory mission. He had the pretty gray eyes, and the little floof of white hair, and he was just _big_.

He had to stop himself from sneaking glances at Shiro _too_ often. That would just be stupid. 

Unfortunately Allura wanted to spend the first few days doing a survey of the area surrounding the city, so it wasn’t like he had anything more interesting to look at. He didn’t see why it was so important to know if the old maps were still accurate anyway. But at least riding in the hopper was fun.

Since Allura, Coran, and Lance took the hoverbikes to head toward the mountains, Keith took the hopper with Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk. They spent most of their time pointing things out and taking notes, which gave Keith plenty of time to look out the window and catch up on an episode of _Sanctuary Moon_.

They landed every now and then so Hunk could take samples of - something. Keith had gone back to his media halfway through his explanation.

Pidge and Hunk had been chattering about a rock for at least 20 minutes. Keith shifted from foot to foot, trying to decide if he wanted to watch _Sanctuary Moon_ or a demo of a new rocket test when a ping from Shiro came in.

**_Shirogane: They'll be at it for a while._ **

**_K3IH: At least we haven't been attacked by anything yet._ **

**_Shirogane: Does that happen every time?_ **

**_K3IH: Only 67% of the time_ **

**_Shirogane: Damn. Here's hoping we're in the 33%._ **

**_At least Oriande isn’t supposed to have any carnivorous fauna_ **, Keith said. But he still kept an eye on Pidge and Hunk as they stood with their backs to the trees.

***

On the fifth morning, Pidge wanted to test xer bot before they went out to take water samples, so Keith tagged along with xe, Shiro, and Hunk. They went to the nearest lake, and as soon as they climbed out of the hopper, Pidge’s bot started wheeling around them, beeping happily. 

“Come on, Rover!” Pidge called, but Rover stopped smack in front of Keith. He felt like it was sizing him up. 

He pinged its feed. **_Hi._ **

It hummed and rolled forward, bumping against his shin. **_Hi. I’m Rover._ **

Keith smiled. **_Hi Rover. I’m K31H._ **

It chirped happily and spun around him. **_K31H! We’re outside today! To test water for REAL!_ **

“Rover likes you,” Pidge said, a smile in xer voice. 

**_Of course I do_ ** **.** Rover said. **_He’s a bot like me._ **

Keith blinked. **_Yeah. We’re like twins._ **

**_Twins!_** Rover chirped, rolling up to Pidge. **_We’re twins, Pidge!_**

 ** _Yeah, Rover_** **_:)_** xe said. Keith felt his cheeks heat, unused to the attention. He noticed Shiro watching him and he looked away. 

Rover was able to navigate the tall grass and could even float along in the shallows. But the bot kept getting stuck in the mud when it tried to come back to Pidge. 

The first time it beeped in alarm, and Keith went splashing into the water to pull it out. It chirped contentedly as he carried it back to shore. 

**_Pidge! I got stuck_ ** **!**

“I saw _,_ ” xe said, cleaning the mud out of Rover's wheels and checking its performance reliability levels. “It looks like you're ok, though.”

 ** _It was fun!_** Rover said. **_I like mud!_**

And it spent the next five test runs getting itself stuck in mud, forcing the others to wade into the water to dig it out.

“Rover!” Pidge scolded, cradling it in xer arms while mud squelched under xer boots. “You're supposed to be taking water samples!”

 **_Sorry, Pidge_ ** _,_ Rover chirped, and the next few test runs were uneventful. But then on the eleventh run, Rover went too deep. It sent a distress call to the feed, and Keith plunged into the water. 

**_Wait, Keith!_** He heard splashing behind him and looked over his shoulder. Shiro was wading in after him. 

**_Shiro?_ **

And then the lake floor dropped out underneath him and he went face first into the water.

 _This would be a great time to know how to swim_ , he thought as he flailed to reach the surface. He didn’t need to breathe, so that was fine, but his metal parts were heavy, and his boots couldn't get purchase. 

But then he felt hands wrapping around his waist, dragging him up.

He came up to the surface and found himself held tight to Shiro's chest. "Fuck, I forgot you're 50% metal," Shiro muttered, leaning back into a backstroke. 

"Shiro! Stop!"

"Keith, you'll sink," Shiro gritted out.

"You're forgetting Rover!" Keith said. 

"I'll go back for him," Shiro said, and then Keith felt solid ground under his boots. He pushed off so fast that the mud sent him sliding right into Shiro’s chest.. Shiro caught him and set him upright. "Just a sec," he said, splashing out into the water. Keith watched, running the statistics on disaster striking until Shiro swam back with Rover tucked under one arm.

 ** _K31H!_** Rover chirped and if Keith needed to breathe, he would have let out a sigh of relief. 

Pidge called from the bank, "Is Rover ok?"

"He's fine, Pidge," Shiro called back with a laugh. "We're fine too, in case you were wondering."

"Oh you know what I mean," Pidge said, exasperated. 

"I know," Shiro said, wading back toward the shore, looking back to make sure Keith was following in his wake.

Pidge made grabby hands for Rover as soon as Shiro walked on shore, and he passed him over. "You _know_ better than to swim out too far, Rover!" xe scolded as xe ran a diagnostic test.

Keith felt something tap his shoulder and he jumped. "Hey sorry, I just -thought I'd check to make sure you're ok," Shiro said.

Keith blinked at him. "But I can just do a scan when we get back to the SecHub," he said, confused.

Shiro shrugged. "I know, I just… you were under for a while."

Keith blinked at him for a second, and then he reached up, slowly, and unlatched his helmet. 

"Can I?" Shiro asked. 

Keith nodded, not quite sure what he was agreeing to, and then Shiro leaned in, and Keith gulped. 

Shiro looked into his eyes and Keith had _no_ idea how to react. _Should he look back? Had he been looking too long? This is why he never took off the damn helmet!_

Shiro let out a little sigh. "Your eyes aren't dilated, so that's good." He held up a metal finger. "Follow the movement, but don't turn your head."

Keith watched his finger move right to left, up and down. "What is this supposed to do?"

"It checks your neurological response," Shiro said.

"But you can just do a system scan for that," Keith said, still confused.

Shiro hummed. "Let's just say the scans don't always play nice with my nonorganic parts." Keith's eyebrows shot up and Shiro sighed. "Sorry, I'm paranoid. I'm sure your systems are less of a mess than mine."

Keith laughed. "I hate to break it to you, but you didn't exactly get the Deluxe SecUnit model."

Shiro chuckled. "Don't tell Allura. She spent weeks agonizing over the different packages."

Keith snorted. Just then Hunk called "Shiro! Are you coming?"

"Yeah!" Shiro answered, but as he turned to go Keith cleared his throat. 

"If the scans ever go on the fritz I can check your systems for you. If you want."

Shiro blinked at him and for SOME reason Keith started rambling. Like a dumb human from one of the cheesy shows he never watched. "If you don't, that's fine, I just -"

"No, that'd be great," Shiro said, all in a rush. "Thanks, Keith."

Keith smiled and jammed his helmet back on. "Yeah." 

He really needed to get a grip.

***

Thankfully that night was a debrief meeting, and then a vid call with the crew from Sincline, so Keith could stand at the back and watch _Sanctuary Moon_ in peace while the others talked about water salinity and contaminant testing.

But of course when they got back to the Hub, Coran shoved a plant with curly green leaves into Hunk's hands. "Look at this!"

Hunk held it up to the light, and Keith saw what looked like hundreds of dew drops sparkling in the light. "Is this the-"

"The ice plant, yes! It grows like a weed here, so I got plenty of cuttings to propagate back on Altea!" Coran said, beaming. "It's excellent as a soap substitute, or in salads!" 

"Sounds great, Coran," Shiro said, and to his credit his voice only sounded slightly strained.

**_K3IH: Soap and salads?_ **

**_Shirogane: They’re actually not so bad, but Coran likes to… experiment_ ** **🤢**

 **_K3IH_ ** **: 😬** **_Glad I don't have to eat, then._ **

**Shirogane:** **_Lucky! I still haven't gotten over the space goo incident_ ** **.**

**_K3IH: Space goo??_ **

But before Shiro could explain, Allura said, "Now that we're all here, I think we should run over the plan for our first trip into the city."

She sent the mission plan to the group feed, and Keith skimmed the doc, then frowned and read it again, more carefully. 

Lance and Pidge were playing some elaborate game over who would ride in the cockpit with Shiro when Keith said, "There's nothing about a scouting trip."

The others all turned and stared at him. He straightened his shoulders. "I should go in first to make sure it's safe for the rest of you."

Allura blinked at him. "I appreciate your concern, SecUnit, but I really don't think that'll be necessary…"

Keith's jaw clenched. He could just sit it out and watch media, but imagining the humans blundering into a crater or locking themselves in some abandoned building made him feel vaguely sick.

"No one has been to Oriande in decades," he said. "You don't know how the buildings are holding up, or if the pathway to the reservoir is even open…"

Allura clenched her PADD. "My father was the last person to leave Oriande," she said. "I'm going to be the first person to walk there again."

"Wait a second," Lance said. "Wasn't there a documentary about Oriande? I definitely saw a trailer for that…"

"They used drones," Hunk muttered and Allura nodded sharply. 

" _I'm_ going to get the evidence that Galra Tech sabotaged Oriande," she insisted. 

Shiro cleared his throat. "Allura, we all want to bring down Galra Tech. K-- SecUnit's right, rushing in without recon is just going to leave us vulnerable." She swallowed, her gaze immediately dropping to Shiro's metal arm.

"Of course, Shiro, I'm sorry," she said softly. "I know there's no love lost between Voltron and Galra Tech."

"And don't forget," Keith said. "Even if I go ahead, you'll still be the first human to step foot in Oriande in 20 years."

The others fidgeted and Keith inwardly kicked himself. Everybody gets nervous when the bot reminds them it knows it's not human. 

"That's true, Allura," Pidge finally said. "And at any rate, you'll still win your bet with Lotor."

Allura smiled, with a glint in her eye. "Oh, there was never a question of _that_ , no matter what Lotor says."

The vid meeting started with the usual amount of banter and bragging, so Keith settled for a relaxing evening of watching _Sanctuary Moon._ He had just started the next episode when he got a new ping on the feed - from someone on the Sincline team. 

**_ACX4: Do these humans ever shut up?_ **

Keith frowned. The X4 models were Combat Units. Why the fuck did the Sincline team need a Combat Unit? 

**_ACX4: What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?_ **

Talking to Rover was one thing, but talking to another SecUnit, let alone a Combat Unit, was dangerous. Any little slip could end up with him on the deactivation shortlist. The Company wasn’t too fond of rogue SecUnits.

**_K3IH: No, just surprised a Combat Unit would want to talk to a little old SecUnit like me._ **

**_ACX4: Please. It’ll be nice to have someone interesting to talk to._ **

Keith’s eyebrows shot up. He’d had a few run-ins with combat bots in the past, and they hadn’t been interested in talking to a lowly SecUnit. Which suited him just fine, since most of the time they were only interested in fighting each other or telling stories about fighting each other.

Boring. 

So what was a combat bot doing clogging up his feed with small talk?

**_K3IH: You’re not interested in the riveting discussion on water purification systems?_ **

**_ACX4: Ugh, NO. And the arguing! Do your clients argue? Mine bicker all. the. time._ **

**_K3IH: Not as bad as some expeditions I’ve been on._ **

Just then Lance started doing a loud impression of Coran falling into a lake, complete with flailing limbs. 

**_ACX4: That would get old fast._ **

**_K3IH: He’s alright when he’s quiet._ **

Which was basically never, but something about the way ACX4 was complaining was getting under Keith’s skin. He complained about humans all the time, but complaining about them to another bot was risky. ACX4 might be alright with a ding on its record, but Keith couldn’t afford one. 

Plus these humans really weren’t so bad. Even Lance with his big mouth. 

**_ACX4: That augmented human is the pilot, right?_ **

Keith’s eyes flicked over to Shiro. He was laughing, with his head thrown back, leaning against Hunk as Coran did some strange, wiggling type of dance. He scrubbed at his eyes with his prosthetic hand, and Keith felt that strange wave of emotion again.

**_K3IH: Yeah._ **

**_ACX4: He looks so familiar. I wonder where I’ve seen him before…_ **

**_K3IH: The mission brief?_ **

**_ACX4: I don’t think so..._ **

Keith clenched his jaw so tight his performance reliability dropped 3 percent. He didn’t know what game ACX4 was playing, but he didn’t like being toyed with. 

**_K3IH: I don’t know. All humans look the same to me._ **

**_ACX4: That’s funny, they say the same thing about us._ **

**_K3IH: I guess that’s what happens when your organic parts are cloned._ **

Keith was relieved to hear Allura say, “Alright, alright, we’ll have plenty of time to tell stories about our daring exploits on the next call. But we should all be getting to bed, we have a lot to do tomorrow!”

“I still can’t believe you’re going into the city tomorrow, Allura,” the Sincline leader - Lotor said. 

“It’ll be fine, Lotor,” she said, with just a bit of an edge to her voice. “I need to see it for myself.”

“Well, that infrastructure has been moldering here for decades, so get out at the first sign of collapse, alright?”

“I will.” She smiled at Keith over her shoulder. “Our SecUnit insisted on going first to make sure everything is safe.”

“I’m glad you got such a helpful model,” Lotor said, so smarmy Keith could kick him.

**_ACX4: Awww, that’s sweet_ **

**_K3IH: It’s literally the bare minimum. Plus if a client breaks a leg it's my fault_ **

**_ACX4: I forget that you have to take care of your humans. As long as I win, mine don’t care._ **

**_K3IH: Yeah, it’s kinda weird you’re on an exploratory mission, huh? No one to fight out here._ **

**_ACX4: You never know._ **

And before Keith could even wrap his head around what the fuck _that_ was supposed to mean, the humans started saying their goodbyes.

**_ACX4: Well, that’s my cue. I’ll see you later, K3IH._ **

Keith signed out of the chat, hoping that he didn’t have to see ACX4 until the flight out of Oriande. 

The humans gradually trooped off to bed and Keith fled to the security ready room. He climbed into his cubicle and watched four episodes of _Sanctuary Moon_ in a row _,_ but even the season finale couldn’t distract him from wondering what ACX4’s game was.

***

Allura rushed them all out to the hopper as soon as the sun rose the next morning, despite Pidge and Lance's loud objections. Keith did his best to ignore them, peering through the window to watch the grass sway in the hopper’s wake. A herd of antelope-like creatures looked up at the approaching hopper and raced away toward the mountains. 

“How much longer?” Lance whined. 

“You have the same maps everyone else does,” Hunk grumbled. Lance sniped back at him and soon there was a huge argument.

Keith practically flung himself out of the hopper the second Shiro touched down. He scanned the area, looking for life or tech signatures and if it happened to take him out of earshot of Lance, well, that was just a coincidence. 

Allura stood stock still, staring up at the arched gateway to Oriande as if her wildest dreams had come true. Pidge, Lance, and Hunk stayed huddled together as the hopper’s propellers buffeted them as they walked toward Allura. 

Shiro jumped out of the cockpit, tilting his head back to look at the city.

**_Shirogane: So this is Oriande._ **

**_Garrett: It looks… kinda haunted. No offense, Allura_ **

**_Alforsson: None taken, Hunk. Everything looking alright, SecUnit?_ **

Keith was just about to answer when he noticed a weird signature - like a radio signal, but so garbled he couldn’t decipher it.

**_K3IH: There’s a signal, but I can’t tell what it’s coming from_ **

That shut the others up at least. 

**_Garrett: Indecipherable signal coming from the creepy abandoned city? I don’t like the sound of that._ **

**_Shirogane: They made that documentary with drones, right? Could it just be one they left behind?_ **

**_K3IH: It’d have to be a way sturdier drone than the ones I have_ **

Which would basically be any other drone on the market, but he didn’t want to make Allura feel bad about how much she had spent on junk. He went back to the hopper to unpack the drones he’d stashed on there earlier. They buzzed to life, flying around him while he set their program to perimeter scan. 

They took off into the city, and he shared their video feeds to the group feed. “I’ll have my camera rolling so you can see anything we find,” he said, adding his camera to the group feed as well. 

**_K3IH: I’ll do a perimeter check and keep doing scans and I’ll meet you if everything looks clear._ **

**_Alforsson: Thank you, SecUnit_ **

**_K3IH: 👍_ **

**_Shirogane: Let us know if something goes wrong_ **

**_K3IH: Will do_ **

Keith turned and walked through the archway.

He walked forward, biting the inside of his cheek. It was so _quiet_ \- he knew all the systems would be shut down, but actually standing there with no feeds or chatter to pick up on had him on edge. Especially since he could feel that garbled signal, out of place in the heavy silence.

The city stretched out gray and grim in front of him. He remembered footage of the city in its prime from the documentary, and the gleaming buildings were almost unrecognizable now. Vines had started slowly climbing, ready to bend the glass to their will and it was almost calming. To see the planet taking the city back.

The sun came out from behind a cloud and Keith gasped. He tilted his head back, staring at the patches of clouds and sky reflected on the tarnished glass all around him. It looked as if the sky stretched out around him as far as he could see. 

**_K3IH: Are you seeing this?_ **

**_Alforsson: It’s so sad_ **

**_K3IH: No, look at the reflections…_ **

**_McClain: I don’t get it_ **

Keith shook his head. A cloud passed in front of the sun again and the sparkle on the glass dimmed. Keith trudged on, finishing his perimeter check and cutting through toward the central plaza. The further he went, the more abandoned hoverbikes he saw, scattered on the street when their owners rushed to evacuate. He bit his lip and hurried on, until he found himself at the foot of an empty fountain. He looked up at the Altea logo, and suddenly felt overwhelmed by the quiet. 

Except for that signal, still echoing in the back of his mind no matter how far he walked.

**_K3IH: I haven’t found the source of that signal yet, but everything else looks clear_ **

**_Alforsson: Excellent! Rendezvous at the fountain?_ **

**_K3IH: I’ll come to you_ **

***

“This place is creepy!” Lance said for the umpteenth time, and Keith rolled his eyes. At least Lance was good for filling up the silence, even if he didn’t do much else.

“Wait till you see the reservoir,” Pidge said. “Dark, underground, lots of echoes…” 

“Not helping, Pidge!”

Pidge snickered, stepping gracefully over Rover. The little bot was so excited to be out for a real test that it rolled in circles around xer feet, chirping happily.

“How far till we get to the reservoir?” Hunk said, adjusting his pack on his shoulders. “Not that I’m complaining, but it would be nice to put this down…”

“It’s just up ahead,” Allura said, pointing to what looked like an enormous greenhouse. 

She marched up to it and typed in the code, but the door refused to open. She typed it again, slower, but nothing.

She frowned. "I don't know why that code didn't work, it was my father's master code. It should work on any door in the city."

"I may be able to help," Keith said.

"Please do," she said.

"Are you going to hack it?" Pidge asked, sounding impressed.

"More or less," Keith said, and shot the lock.

Hunk yelped as the door slid open. "Unorthodox… but effective," Allura said. "Just try not to blast anything while we're down in the reservoir. Lots of pressurized equipment down there."

He sent her the thumbs up emoji and said, "I'll go first and send you a sign."

Allura nodded and Keith ducked through the door. 

No lights of course, but he could see enough to navigate the stairs winding down, down, down into the earth. It seemed to get hotter and hotter with every step he took, and wished he could take off his helmet.

**_K3IH: That signal from before is louder than ever, but I still can't access its feed. Could it be some outdated system that isn't compatible with mine?_ **

**_Alforsson: I don't think so, the technology they would run on the same code we're using now…_ **

**_Holt: Maybe it got corrupted somehow…_ **

**_K3IH: Guess we'll find out._ **

He reached a door at the bottom and "hacked" it again, letting himself into a vast cavern. Several pools stretched around the room, with faint tendrils of steam curling up from the surface.

He did a quick scan of the room, which seemed to be mostly pipes and a hub for the water control.

**_K31H: Everything looks clear here. You can come down._ **

He was just poking around the computer system to see if it was the source of the signal (no dice) when the others came tumbling into the room. 

"See, Hunk, we made it!" Shiro said.

"What's wrong?" Keith said, already priming his gun port.

"Nothing, just claustrophobia," Pidge said, running Hunk's shoulder soothingly. 

"I'll be ok," Hunk said faintly. You start with Rover, Pidge, I'll be over in just a second." 

Pidge nodded and waved Coran over, as they both went to the largest pool. 

"Anything interesting?" Allura asked over Keith's shoulder, and he had to fight the urge to flinch.

"Just wanted to see if the signal's coming from here," he mumbled.

"May I?" She asked, and he stepped out of the way. 

"She's all yours."

Keith ducked past her and stood to the side, watching Lance practice some sort of knife trick while he waited. Keith was actually semi-impressed. 

"Here, Shiro, you try," Lance called, handing the knife over.

Shiro smirked and did an elaborate trick that even Keith could barely follow, because of course he was good at that too. He was just trying to teach it to Lance when he grunted and dropped the knife. 

"You ok, man?" Lance asked, bending over to pick it up.

"Yeah, just my arm acting up," Shiro said, flexing his prosthetic hand a few times, as if it was stiff.

Keith frowned. "Has it done that before?"

"No," Shiro said, shaking his head. "It must not like all the steam."

Keith hummed, unconvinced, when Pidge shouted, "You guys, come look at this!"

The others ran over, with Keith trailing behind. "Look!" Pidge exclaimed. "The levels of lead in the pools is negligible -"

"How can that be?" Allura asked. "If the hot springs tapped into a lead deposit, the lead in the water should still be here."

"Exactly!" Pidge crowed. "I checked the toxin levels in the water tanks, and the lead levels are off the charts! So the lead didn't leech into in the water…"

"Someone put it into the tanks, which injected the contaminated water into the pools!" Allura said, clapping her hands. "Pidge, you're a genius!"

Pidge preened while the others chatted excitedly, but Keith frowned, pulling up the old city plans from the mission brief. That door hidden just behind the injector tanks wasn't supposed to be there…

He slipped away and ducked behind the nearest tank so the others wouldn't see him. The door was enormous, and clearly new. The signal was so strong it made his ears ring. Keith broke the lock and blinked, sure his optical sensors must be glitching.

He stared at the rows and rows of tanks, feeling sick to his stomach. How many _were_ there?

**_K31H: We need to get out of here. Now._ **

"Keith? Keith, what's wrong?" 

"Shiro, stop, don't look!" Keith called, but it was too late. Shiro stared at the row of faces that looked just like his.

"What is this?" he asked, his voice strangled. 

"I don't know," Keith said, grabbing Shiro's arm. "Come on, Shiro, we have to get out of here."

"Galra Tech," Shiro whispered. "Galra Tech must have done this."

"Galra Tech?"

Before Shiro could answer, Allura screamed. "Lotor, what are you -"

Keith bolted back toward the others. Stupid, stupid, he should've known something like this would happen. 

He peeked around the tank and swore. Lotor and three of his cronies had ambushed the others. The short one - Zethrid? aimed her gun at Coran and Lance, who was holding Hunk up. He seemed to be bleeding, but not badly. Pidge wrestled against Ezor’s grip, while Lotor's killbot had Allura by the throat. 

Keith gritted his teeth. How _dare_ Lotor touch one of his humans? He was going to take that killbot apart, piece by piece. 

"Stay here," he whispered over his shoulder to Shiro, unstrapping the gun from his back.

"No way!" Shiro whispered. "You're outnumbered."

"It's fine, Shiro. I'm made to take a few hits."

"Keith!"

But Keith had already stepped out from behind the tanker, gun raised.

"Let her go, Lotor," he said. 

Lotor laughed. "Oh isn't that sweet? The SecUnit's programming kicked in. Right on time." He stage whispered in Allura's ear, "How many shots do you think it can take before it shuts down?" before turning and shooting Keith.

Keith rolled his eyes. "Are you going to tell us what you want or are you going to bore us to death first?"

Lotor grinned. "I've already told Allura what I want. The data on that little bot."

"Why do you even care?" Allura snapped. "The test results have nothing to do with you."

"Well, that's where you're wrong," Lotor cooed. "I've been working on my own little pet project here, and if you tell everyone your father was set up they’ll all want to come and investigate and my plan will be ruined."

"What plan?" Pidge snarled, kicking at her captor's shins.

"He's working with Galra Tech," Shiro said, loud and clear behind him.

**_K3IH: I told you to stay behind_ **

**_Shirogane: I wasn't about to leave you all alone_ **

"Working with Galra Tech?" Lotor yelped. "Please! As if Zarkon cares about anything but his own power. I've been working with his best scientist and we're going to accomplish more than he ever dreamed!"

“You’re working with Haggar?” Coran bellowed. 

“For now,” Lotor said.

“You’ve lost your mind,” Shiro muttered.

“Pidge,” Allura said. “Give him the data.”

“Allura, no!” 

“Just do it!” Allura snapped.

Pidge popped open Rover’s case and handed over its memory chip. Xer fingers shook as Ezor snatched it away. 

“Excellent, Ezor,” Lotor said, as she dropped Pidge like a stone and handed the chip out to Lotor. 

Keith stepped closer, trying to get a clear shot at ACX4.

“You have what you wanted, Lotor,” Allura said. “Let us go.” 

“Very well,” Lotor said, waving Zethrid over, when an alarm blared. “What the -” he said, looking up.

Pidge sprawled across the computer port, hand on the emergency button. A horrible groan came from the ceiling, and then a _crack!_ and water came pouring down. 

“What the fuck?” Ezor spluttered.

Keith aimed at the nearest tank and shot, sending a fine spray of water everywhere. Ezor and Zethrid started running for the exit, and Lotor called, “ACX4!” 

ACX4 dropped Allura, and as Shiro ran forward to help her up, ACX4 grabbed him instead. 

“Shiro, no!” Keith called. 

Acxa jammed something into the port on Shiro's neck and he fell to his knees with a scream and then collapsed, silent.

"Shiro!" Keith shouted, sending a shot at ACX4. 

She ducked lazily and turned to him. "This is what he was made for, SecUnit. You of all people should understand that."

Keith shot again and she ducked, but he noticed that the heavy gun port in her right arm slowed her down. Not much, just a fraction of a second. He shot to the left, so she ducked right and --

"Augh!"

She collapsed to the floor, clutching her right leg. Lotor turned. "ACX4!"

Allura surged forward but Keith caught her arm. "No! Take the others and get out!"

"I can't! I can't let him…"

Keith clutched her shoulders. "I need to get Shiro. You need to get the others out of here."

She pushed against his chest. "No one will believe me."

Keith sighed, closing his eyes as he sent his memories - the clones, the lab, Lotor's confession - to her feed.

She stared. "Keith, you…"

He shook his head. "Tell me later. Just go!"

Allura stared at him as he ran. ACX4 took a shot over Lotor's shoulder as he hauled her toward the door, but Keith kept running, ignoring the numbing sting in his shoulder. 

He threw down the gun and dropped to his knees at Shiro's side, checking the health stats from his suit. _Not again,_ please, _not again,_ he thought, reaching for whatever ACX4 had jammed into his port. He wrenched the drive free and unlocked his helmet, desperate to see his face.

 _Please, please, please_.

Shiro's eyelashes fluttered and he coughed feebly and Keith's performance reliability rose 5 percent. "Shiro? Shiro, can you hear me? I'm going to get you out of here."

Shiro's eyes opened and they _glowed_ , a bright purple. "I don't think you should," Shiro said, in a cold, awful voice that didn't sound like him at all. "I don't think either of us are leaving."

He heard Shiro's arm hum and he dove out of the way just in time. 

He slipped in the water pooling on the floor and ducked behind a tank. “Shiro! Don’t make me fight you!” 

“Come on, Keith,” Shiro’s voice came, harsh and teasing and _wrong_. “You can do better than that!”

Keith slipped back toward the computers, trying to sneak up on Shiro. 

He heard a splash and turned, just in time for Shiro to land a right hook, so hard that it sent Keith’s helmet flying. Keith kicked out, sending Shiro sprawling to the floor. He dove down to pin Shiro’s arm, but Shiro bucked up and sent him flying.

Keith slammed into the computer port and slid down, slipping on the wet floor. 

Shiro stood up. “That’s it, Keith. I knew you could do it.”

He bent down and picked up Lance’s knife, spinning it in his fingers.

Keith set the gun ports in his arms to stun. "Shiro, stop! This isn't you!"

Shiro cocked his head. "Don't you see? This is what I was made for, Keith."

"It is _not_." Keith gritted his teeth and took the shot.

Shiro growled and dove for Keith. The knife nicked Keith’s chest and he swatted at Shiro’s arm, knocking the blade out of his grip. They both fell together, grappling for the upper hand. 

"Shiro, please! You're my friend! I - I lo-" 

Shiro's hand caught Keith's face and he screamed, but he couldn't turn his pain receptors down, couldn't focus on anything but Shiro. 

He remembered ACX4 seizing control. He reached out and found the port on Shiro's organic arm. 

Shiro gasped and Keith flooded his mind with memories - Shiro saving him in the lake, Shiro inviting him for a hoverbike ride. He and Shiro looking up at the twin moons.

The harsh light in Shiro's eyes dimmed, just for a second, and Keith saw his chance.

He reached blindly for the blade, swinging up to sever the Galra Tech arm.

Shiro screamed and the light in his eyes faded to their normal gray. He blinked down at Keith. "K-Keith?"

"Come on," Keith said, hauling himself up. Trying to ignore all the places he was leaking, he reached out to help Shiro stand, but Shiro fumbled on his feet. So he picked Shiro up, walking slowly up the long, winding path.

_Performance reliability at 52 percent._

Shiro's hand touched Keith, so, so gently. "Keith, you're leaking."

Keith shook his head. "It's ok, just stay with me, Shiro." He started talking, anything he could think of. Hoverbike specs, funny stories, his favorite _Sanctuary Moon_ episode.

_49 percent._

_37 percent._

_Performance reliability dropping fast._

He pinged the feed, but didn't get any response. He ground his teeth and kept going.

Keith finally made it to the top of the stairs. "Shiro, we made it."

"Good, Keith. That's good." His eyes fluttered shut and Keith's heart started pounding.

"Shiro, no!" He checked the suit's health reasons and cursed. He pinged the feed again. **_Hello??_**

 ** _We're coming!_** Pidge pinged back.

"See, Shiro, it's gonna be fine," Keith said, touching his face gently, sending every memory he had to Shiro's feed. _Come back. Stay with me._

_15 percent._

Distantly he heard voices and felt someone pulling Shiro out of his arms. "Keith, you need to get back to the security ready room. You’re leaking too much"

"No. Shiro, help Shiro."

Someone tried to help him to his feet, but he was so tired.

_6 percent._

"Allura, Coran, help me!"

Keith shook his head. _No. Not me. Shiro._

_2 percent._

_System shutdown._

***

_45 percent._

_55 percent._

_70 percent._

Keith’s eyes snapped open. It took him a second to realize where he was - his cubicle, in the SecHub. He glanced down at his ragged suit, and ran through what had happened in Oriande.

_Shiro._

His sensors beeped that he wasn’t fully functional when he unplugged the repair lead, but he overrode the error message and stumbled out. He ran down the hallway toward the medical bay. _Please let Shiro be alright._

He was just about to open the door when Allura stepped out.

“Oh! SecUnit! I’m glad you’re - oh no, you’re leaking.”

“I’m fine. Where’s Shiro? Is he alright?”

Allura held out her hands, as if worried he would fall. “Yes, he’ll be fine. His system took quite a shock, but he’ll pull through.”

Keith worried his lip between his teeth. “Can I see him?”

“He’s sleeping right now, and honestly you should be too. Maybe you should go back to your cubicle, just for a bit.”

Keith swayed on his feet. His performance reliability _was_ dropping again…

“Will you let me see him before you send me back?”

Allura frowned. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

Keith shrugged. “It happened before. On Jarre. I never knew if he made it.”

Allura’s face fell, but Keith was too tired to try to decipher her expression. “I’m sorry, SecUnit. I promise you won’t be sent back before you see him.”

Keith sagged in relief, and she caught his arm. “Let’s get you back in the cubicle, alright?” 

Keith nodded and Allura led him down the hall. “Sleep well, SecUnit,” she said as she fussed with the repair lead.

“Keith. My name is Keith,” he murmured, and then the world went dark.

***

When Keith stepped out of his cubicle again, he walked back to medbay. He poked his head inside the door, and saw Coran and Allura talking in hushed voices. Allura looked up. “Oh, Keith!” she said, waving him over. “Perfect! Shiro’s been asking for you.”

Keith followed her in a daze. She slid open the door and Shiro looked up. “Keith!”

Keith smiled and stepped over to the bed. “Hey Shiro. How’re you feeling?” The door slid shut behind him, and he heard Allura’s footsteps fade away.

Shiro pushed himself up, only a little wobbly. “Ok, thanks to you.”

Keith shook his head. “Shiro…”

“You saved me,” Shiro said softly.

“We saved each other,” Keith insisted.

Shiro smiled, his cheeks slightly pink. Keith opened the feed to check his vitals, and then he saw all the memories he’d sent to Shiro. 

He exited the feed and slammed the door (metaphorically), as if Shiro could read his mind somehow. 

He ducked his head and Shiro gasped. “ _Keith.”_

Keith’s head jerked up, and Shiro reached out toward his cheek. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. 

Keith reached up, confused, and felt a new scar, still tender to the touch. “Shiro, it’s fine. I can’t even feel it.” Shiro shook his head, looking up at Keith mournfully. Keith floundered, not sure what to say. He wasn’t any good at this. “Besides, we kind of match now.”

Shiro laughed and reached out to pull him down to sit next to him. SecUnits _never_ sat next to humans. “We do.”

Keith smiled tentatively. “This happens all the time, Shiro. I’m just glad I got to see you before I go.”

Shiro blinked up at him. “What do you mean?”

Keith shrugged. “On Jarre - there was a rock slide, and one of the humans got hurt trying to help the others. I got him out, but they shipped me back to the Company.” He glanced up at Shiro, and then down to his hand, resting on the bed. “You’re the first friend I’ve had since Tex and I - I thought I’d never see you again.”

“ _Keith_ ,” Shiro murmured, tilting his head so he could catch Keith’s eye. “We wouldn’t send you back like that. You still have to ride in the cockpit with me, remember?”

Keith blinked. “Well. The contract’s done. There’s no reason for you to keep me around now.” 

Shiro frowned. “Allura didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Allura!” Shiro called.

There was a squawk from outside the door. “Wait, he’s awake?” 

Footsteps pounded outside and Lance, Hunk, and Pidge all piled into the room chattering so loudly that Keith couldn't decipher any of it. Rover zoomed in behind them and laid down at Keith's feet. 

“Shiro!” Lance called. “You’re ok!”

Shiro smiled and waved. “Yep. Still in one piece. Mostly.” Keith snorted and Shiro smirked, unrepentant. 

“Sorry, Shiro,” Allura said. “I was trying to let you get some rest without these ruffians bothering you.”

Pidge snorted. “Please, we’re delightful.” Hunk shook his head fondly and Lance nodded enthusiastically. 

“Allura,” Shiro said, “Why didn’t you tell him?”

“I hadn’t gotten a chance yet,” Allura said, eyebrows raised. Keith felt his cheeks burn all over again. It would really be nice if his helmet wasn’t underwater somewhere.

“We wanted to ask you to stay,” Shiro murmured and Keith stared. 

“Really?”

“Yes,” Allura said. “We owe you a huge debt for giving us the evidence of Lotor’s betrayal, not to mention saving Shiro. We’ll need to find a new location for our new colony, so we extended our contract with Garrison Co. So if you’d like…. You could stay with us.”

Keith looked around at their eager faces. “Really? You want me to stay?”

“Yes!” the others exclaimed. 

“You’re Rover’s favorite after all,” Pidge said. 

“And you owe me a new knife," Lance drawled. "It was my favorite one!"

“I’ll get right on that, with all that GAC I have,” Keith said drily. Hunk laughed as Lance deflated. 

“I don’t think you thought that one through, buddy.”

Keith felt something brush his elbow and turned. Shiro looked up at him hopefully. “What do you say?”

Keith bit his lip and nodded. “Yeah. If you want me, I’ll stay.”

Rover spun around his feet and Pidge patted his shoulder excitedly. Lance magnanimously said maybe it wouldn’t be _so_ bad to have another “security expert” around after all.

But Keith only noticed that later, when he watched his feed again. 

For now, he was too busy looking at Shiro, smiling at him like he hung Oriande’s twin moons.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed! <3
> 
> You can find me over on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bavariancookie) if you want to talk about Sheith!


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